Why Grocery Prices Are Still High
Food inflation has slowed in Australia and overseas, yet the weekly shop still hurts. The reason is simple once you see it: the CPI tells you how fast prices are rising, not how high they already are.
The Kernel Economics blog
Why Is the RBA Raising Rates When Unemployment Is Rising?
On 3 November the Reserve Bank lifted the cash rate to 4.85%, even though more people are out of work. It looks contradictory until you see what the board is really watching: whether the economy is running hotter than it can sustain, and whether we all start expecting high inflation to stick. The 6–3 vote shows just how close the call was.
The RBA Can't Fix Oil Prices. So Why Is It Acting?
Even the Governor says higher rates won't bring petrol prices down. The real target is the second-round effects: a fuel shock that spreads into freight, airfares and the price of services.
How AI Data Centres Are Showing Up in Your Cost of Living
The boom in AI investment has a physical footprint: chips, power and buildings. We follow the chain from data centres to electricity demand, tech prices and Australian jobs.
Shrinkflation, Supermarket Margins and Who Sets Grocery Prices
Smaller packets, the same price. We look at how two big chains shape what we pay, and how to tell price gouging apart from genuinely rising costs.
Tax Brackets Don't Work the Way You Think
No, a pay rise can't push you into a higher bracket and leave you worse off. The higher rate only applies to the dollars above the threshold. Here's the difference between marginal and average tax rates, in plain English.
Why Your Pay Rise Doesn't Feel Like One
A 3% rise in a year with 4% inflation is a pay cut in disguise. We explain real versus nominal wages, the Wage Price Index, and why the RBA keeps a close eye on labour costs.